University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Fall to Radford in Season Finale
05.20.2016 | Baseball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Radford 7 – Asheville 3
Teams: Asheville (16-38, 5-19 BSC)
Radford (17-37, 9-15 BSC)
Location: Radford Baseball Stadium / Radford, VA
RADFORD, VA – A four-run third inning proved to be the difference on Friday afternoon as Radford handed UNC Asheville a 7-3 loss to close the Bulldogs' 2016 campaign. Asheville started all three position seniors while all four senior pitchers also played in their final game.
THE TURNING POINT
After the Bulldogs stranded two Radford runners on the bases in both the first and second innings, the hosts plated four runs on four hits in the bottom of the third inning to take a lead they would not give up. Later, Radford added one final run in the bottom of the eighth inning after the Bulldogs had just cut the deficit in half in the top of the eighth inning.
NOTABLES
-Asheville finished with the six hits, led by senior Pete Guy's two hit game. Joe Tietjen, Carmine Pagano, Kyle Carruthers and Derek Smith each added one hit.
-Adam Spracklin was saddled with the loss after allowing the four-run third inning. Spracklin, the first reliever of the game after Corey Randall's two-inning, two strikeout start, was followd by Parker Swindell (one strikeout) and Lucas Clarke out of the bullpen as Bulldog head coach Scott Friedholm got all of his senior arms into their final game.
-Lucas Owens, Erik Connolly and Guy each started in the lineup as the three Asheville position seniors.
-Radford's four-run third inning was highlighted by a two-run homer and also included an RBI single and run-scoring groundout before Asheville got on the board in the top of the fourth inning via Guy's solo home run off the video board in left-center field.
-The hosts answered in the bottom of the fourth, using a fielder's choice ground ball and a sacrifice fly to extend the lead. Both sides traded three scoreless innings before Asheville cut into the deficit with a two-run top of the eighth, when Guy delivered a two-out, two-run double to plate Carruthers and Smith, who had each singled earlier in the inning.
-Radford shut the door with a final run in the bottom of the eighth via an RBI triple before Asheville drew two walks but left them stranded in the top of the ninth to close the game.
